Peace When the Stone is Too Heavy

Good Morning!

I am faced with what seems immovable at work in regard to an employee and a hostile attitude and its ramifications.But more immovable than his attitude is my fear.Yet I know that He will provide the strength to ‘roll the stone’ when it is beyond my ability to move it myself.

Much love in Christ,

Joy#203 Peace When the Stone is Too Heavy “Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3 The word ‘commit’ is Strong’s #1556, and means to roll. It is used in Genesis 29:3, 8, referring to the large stone that was rolled on and off the mouth of the well at Haran.

Jacob was travelling from his home where he lived with his parents Isaac and Rebecca. He was travelling to Haran for two reasons: to keep his distance from the murderous intention of his brother Esau, and to find a wife not of Canaanite descent. He arrived in the land of the Easterners, and there before his eyes was a well. Three flocks of sheep were lying by the well. After a brief conversation with the shepherds there, he realized that this was the well where Laban’s family watered their sheep. (Genesis 27:41-16, 28:1-5; 29:1-5)

“The stone on the mouth of the well was large.” Genesis 29:3 This heavy stone would require two or three men to roll it away. (JFB) A stone would only be rolled if it was too heavy or large to carry. So perhaps this word ‘commit’ in Proverbs 16:13 suggests to find a way to bring what we cannot lift because the issue is beyond our ability to lift, and to exert the effort to push it forward, to the Lord. Every day, twice a day Rachel was faced with a stone she could not lift, and that was not in her ability to move. And every day Rachel waited for the able bodied men who were willing to roll the stone so that the sheep of the area could be watered. But when Jacob saw Rachel with the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, he chose to act immediately. “Jacob disregards the local custom, and by a feat of great personal strength removes the stone” (Soncino) He went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. His joy was so great “in meeting and helping a member of his mother’s family” that kissed Rachel respectfully on the hand and wept.

Is there something in life that we cannot lift, an issue beyond our ability to move or remove? Has what we do or what we need to do become so heavy we cannot go forward? The Lord will provide a way for the stone to be moved. Every day the Lord provided the means for the stone to be moved. Then He provided Jacob. He moved the stone out of love for family and out of personal strength. Jacob was willing to toil for Rachel’s hand in marriage for seven years. And to Jacob those seven years seemed as a few days. Genesis 29:20 God has provided a greater than Jacob, one who is strong to roll the stone, one who loves us so deeply he would labor throughout seven stages of the Gospel Age to gain our relationship in marriage. As we realize the commitment of Christ, and the feat of great strength that empowered him to deal with every obstacle, the strength of faithfulness even to the death of the cross, (Hebrews 12:2-3) we are empowered through his strength to roll the issue to God. Lord, this issue is too heavy for me to carry, but I want to bring it to You.I stand by this well of water, with spiritual survival needs to partake of this water, and with no apparent way to deal with the obstacle in the way. But I stand in this wilderness by faith, knowing that You will provide, knowing that You have provided through my greater than Jacob.Empower me, through the love of Jesus and His commitment, to deal with each heavy obstacle with a faith that honors You, and allows the strength of Christ to work through my feeble arms to make them strong to roll the stone.As we continue to commit our actions and activities to the Lord He will establish our intentions or plans and the way to go forward. As we continue to commit the actions that seems impossible to carry out, the God who keeps His promises, through the silence of emptying our will and preconceived perceptions and by obedience in the next one thing, will lead us step by step in His Path of Peace.